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| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF DROSOPHILA LEARNING AND MEMORYSummaryPrincipal Investigator: Ronald Davis Affiliation: Texas Medical Center Country: USA Abstract: DESCRIPTION: The activity of many different types of molecules is modulated in the relevant neurons as an animal learns and stores information. Past research has focused on some of these types, such as molecules involved in second messenger metabolism, receptors, and some transcription factors. In Drosophila, the research has concentrated on molecules that are involved in cAMP-mediated signal transduction and that are expressed in mushroom body cells, neurons that appear to mediate olfactory learning in insects. These investigators are now turning their attention to molecules displayed at the surface of mushroom body cells, due to recent observations suggesting that a novel integrin and a surface member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of proteins are important for learning. A new learning mutant named volado, encodes an alpha-integrin expressed preferentially on mushroom body cells. In addition, products of the fasII gene, which encodes an NCAM-like molecule, are beautifully displayed on the axons of mushroom body cells and lesions of the gene produce deficits in olfactory classical conditioning. The proposed research will extend these observations to determine whether the deficits in conditioned behavior are general, or whether they are specific to olfactory classical conditioning. Conditional rescue experiments for both mutants are planned to help determine whether the lesions disrupt developmental processes that emerge as learning deficits, or whether the protein products are required physiologically during the process of learning. Candidates for the beta-integrin predicted to associate with the alpha-subunit will be evaluated for their roles in learning. Finally, genetic interaction studies are proposed to determine if these products are regulated by pathways of known importance; for example, the cAMP-mediated pathway, and whether there is an interaction between these two surface molecules. The investigators anticipate that the proposed research will reveal new insights and highlight the importance of cell surface molecules to the process of learning and memory. Furthermore, the identification of new molecules important for learning and memory will extend our knowledge, in general, of the molecular machinery underlying learning, and may provide insights into disease states that perturb cognitive processes. Funding Period: 1987-12-01 - 2001-07-31 more information: NIH RePORT Top Publications
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Olfactory memory formation in Drosophila: from molecular to systems neuroscienceRonald L Davis
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Annu Rev Neurosci 28:275-302. 2005..Finally, the genes identified to participate in Drosophila olfactory learning have conserved roles in mammalian organisms, highlighting the value of Drosophila for gene discovery...
The GABAA receptor RDL suppresses the conditioned stimulus pathway for olfactory learningXu Liu
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
J Neurosci 29:1573-9. 2009..The combined data suggest that RDL suppresses olfactory learning via CS pathway involvement...- The GABAergic anterior paired lateral neuron suppresses and is suppressed by olfactory learningXu Liu
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Nat Neurosci 12:53-9. 2009..These results demonstrate a mutual suppression between the GABAergic APL neuron and olfactory learning, and emphasize the functional neuroplasticity of the GABAergic system as a result of learning... - PDF cells are a GABA-responsive wake-promoting component of the Drosophila sleep circuitKatherine M Parisky
Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Neuron 60:672-82. 2008.... - Spatial and temporal control of gene expression in Drosophila using the inducible GeneSwitch GAL4 system. I. Screen for larval nervous system driversLouise Nicholson
MCDB Department, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 8103, USA
Genetics 178:215-34. 2008..However, >90% of the neuron-specific driver lines showed little or no background activity, making them particularly useful for inducible expression studies... - GABAA receptor RDL inhibits Drosophila olfactory associative learningXu Liu
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Neuron 56:1090-102. 2007..Together, these data suggest that RDL negatively modulates olfactory associative learning, possibly by gating the input of olfactory information into the MBs... - Drosophila alpha/beta mushroom body neurons form a branch-specific, long-term cellular memory trace after spaced olfactory conditioningDinghui Yu
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Neuron 52:845-55. 2006.... - Roles for Drosophila mushroom body neurons in olfactory learning and memoryDavid Benjamin G Akalal
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Learn Mem 13:659-68. 2006.... - Drosophila DPM neurons form a delayed and branch-specific memory trace after olfactory classical conditioningDinghui Yu
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
Cell 123:945-57. 2005..DPM neurons are therefore "odor generalists" and form a delayed, branch-specific, and amnesiac-dependent memory trace that may guide behavior after acquisition... - A dual role for the adaptor protein DRK in Drosophila olfactory learning and memoryAnastasios Moressis
Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, Vari 16672, Greece
J Neurosci 29:2611-25. 2009....